Trowbridge Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota621 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Trowbridge Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 76 ft max depth
- Public access
Trowbridge Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 76 ft. Surface area: 620.81 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 8, 2019 caught 1.89 walleye per gill net at Trowbridge Lake. DNR survey details →
Trowbridge Lake is a 621-acre mesotrophic lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 76 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available. Compared to the 65 other monitored lakes in Otter Tail County, Trowbridge Lake ranks #25 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Trowbridge Lake covers about 620 acres in Otter Tail County. The median ice-out date is April 25, which is when the open-water season begins. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Trowbridge Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Trowbridge Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing13 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 25
- Deep water76 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Trowbridge Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Trowbridge Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Trowbridge Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Trowbridge Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 13.5 ft. Phosphorus 16 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.5 µg/L. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 16µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Trowbridge Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Trowbridge Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 78°F) and coldest in May (about 57°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (57°F) to its warmest (78°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 52 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Trowbridge Lake water temperature breakdown →
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Trowbridge Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was low (16,144 cells/mL) on November 8, 2025.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 8, 2019 caught 1.89 walleye per gill net at Trowbridge Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Trowbridge Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-04-30 (Targeted Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2025-04-30 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 26.27 | 2–9 in 2019-07-08 | 0.16 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 13.36 | 7–15 in 2019-07-08 | 0.52 lb |
| Black Crappie | 5.47 | 7–13 in 2025-04-30 | 0.39 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 4.50 | 7–19 in 2019-07-08 | 0.89 lb |
| Northern Pike | 4.33 | 16–29 in 2019-07-08 | 1.44 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 4.31 | 3–8 in 2019-07-08 | 0.32 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Bluegill
Yellow Bullhead
Black Crappie
Largemouth Bass
From the 2025-04-30 survey
Leek (Trowbridge) Lake is a 609-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in north-central Otter Tail County approximately three miles northwest of Vergas, MN. Leek Lake is part of the Otter Tail River Watershed. Two small intermittent inlets are located along the southeast shoreline and one intermittent…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Trowbridge Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Leek (Trowbridge)Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Leek (Trowbridge) (1042)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — Leek (Trowbridge)Fish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Leek (Trowbridge)Public Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
76 ft
Surface area
621 acres
Shoreline
8.8 mi
Littoral zone
44%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Trowbridge Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Trowbridge Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Trowbridge Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.06 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.95 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 25
Earliest Apr 5, 2017 · Latest Dec 7, 2021
Typical ice-in
Dec 1
Earliest Nov 13, 2018 · Latest Dec 19, 2015
Most recent ice-out
Apr 14
2025
19 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Trowbridge Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN56-0532-01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Otter Tail County
Frequently asked questions about Trowbridge Lake
Where is Trowbridge Lake?
- Trowbridge Lake is a lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Trowbridge Lake?
- Trowbridge Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 76 ft. Surface area: 620.81 acres.
Is Trowbridge Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Trowbridge Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Trowbridge Lake?
- Trowbridge Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 52 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Trowbridge Lake?
- Trowbridge Lake has a maximum depth of 76 feet. The lake covers 620.81 acres.
What fish are in Trowbridge Lake?
- Fish species found in Trowbridge Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Trowbridge Lake is located in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Trowbridge Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 8, 2019 caught 1.89 walleye per gill net at Trowbridge Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Trowbridge Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Trowbridge Lake thaw?
- Trowbridge Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 25. Ice typically forms around Dec 1. The open water season is approximately 220 days.
Does Trowbridge Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Trowbridge Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was low (16,144 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Can I fish at Trowbridge Lake?
- Public access to Trowbridge Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Trowbridge Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
100 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA100 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate